Their story
Thatchers Cider has been made at Myrtle Farm in Sandford, Somerset, since 1904, when William Thatcher first began pressing cider there. The business has passed down four generations, from William to his son Stanley, then John, and current chairman Martin Thatcher, with a fifth generation, Eleanor and Peter Thatcher, now involved. It has grown from a farmhouse operation into one of the country's largest independent cider makers, farming around 500 acres at Myrtle Farm and a further 180 acres at Shiplate, plus a new 50-acre orchard planted in 2025. Its Exhibition Orchard holds 458 cider apple varieties, which Thatchers describes as the largest such collection grown for cider anywhere in the world. The range spans mainstream apple and fruit ciders alongside more traditional single-variety and blended lines such as Stan's Trad and Heritage.
Thatchers farms around 500 acres of orchard at Myrtle Farm plus 180 acres at Shiplate, and planted a new 50-acre, 13,000-tree orchard in 2025; its Exhibition Orchard holds 458 cider apple varieties.
Apples and pears they nameKaty, Red Windsor, Porters Perfection, Vilberie, Redstreak
What they make
- Thatchers Gold medium, apple
- Thatchers Haze cloudy, apple
- Thatchers Katy single variety
- Thatchers Vintage 8.3% ABV, higher strength
- Thatchers Zero alcohol-free
- Stan's Traditional traditional, dry
Visiting
Farm shop at Myrtle Farm, Sandford BS25 5RA
Opening times, as they publish them: Tuesday-Wednesday 10am-5pm, Thursday 10am-7pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-2pm, closed Monday
Tastings: Yes. The Railway Inn, a separate Thatchers-run pub and restaurant nearby. Online farm shop also operates for delivery.
Tours. Guided mill tour, about 2 hours, £20pp, includes cider tasting; individual bookings (1-15 people) online, groups (15-30) by email; Tuesday-Friday only from 2026 (Saturday tours paused for mill upgrades); minimum age 18, not wheelchair accessible.
Where to buy
- Online, direct from the maker thatcherscider.co.uk
- At the farm or cidery When open
- The Railway Inn, Sandford Stockist
Also widely available in UK supermarkets and pubs nationally.
Their events
Runs an annual Wassail and public Open Days (started 1993) at Myrtle Farm, alongside its Thatchers Community Orchard project.
Recent awards
- Gold, Cider World Awards 2025, Thatchers Katy (single variety)
- Gold, Cider World Awards 2025, Thatchers Heritage
- Gold, Cider World Awards 2025, Porters Perfection & Vilberie blend
- Silver, Cider World Awards 2025, Thatchers Oak-aged Redstreak